Spring-wheel.



No. 817,265. PATENTBD APR. l0, 1906.

' W. W. MUKEE.

SPRING WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 20. 1905A UNITED srArEs PATENT FFICE.

WARNER W. MCKEE, oF BELLEVILLE, NEW JERSEY. r

sPmNefwHEEL. l

i Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 10, 1906.

Application led May 20, 1905. Serial No. 261,330.

` larly to the class known as resilient wheels wherein the rim or tellyis yieldingly supported from the wheel-hub.

The main object ol' the invention is the production 'of resilient oryielding connections between the hub and rim constructed and arranged'tointerbracc during load compression, whereby to increase the normalrigidity at vthe point required and at the same time instructed inaecordianee with my invention,

the relative position of the parts during load compression beingillustrated in dotted outline. Fig. 2 is a transverse central section ofthe same.

Referring to the drawings, my improved Wheel comprises a rim 1 and 4hub2, which aside from the details hereinafter described may be oftheconstruction referred, as they form no material part of t 1e resentinvention. The wheel illustrated, iowever, is of the ball-bearingmetallic style, the rim 1 havino' circumferential ed e flanges 3 toreceive a ru ber tire 4 and the lub 2 liaving vthe usual cups 5 tocontain balls 6 and centrally apertured to receive an axle 7, havingball-cones S.

The rim 1 is formedor` provided With inwardly-projecting annular flanges9, preferably extending from the edges of the rim to provide anintermediate space for the reception of' the outer ends of theconnections or spring-spokes, to be later described. Bolts 10 aresecured transversely -to the flanges 9, spanning the space therebetweento receive one end of the springwspokes, said bolts being equally spacedand in desired number aroun the rim. The hub 2 is also-formed orprovided with annular Han es 11, radially projecting from near the en sof the hub a sufficient distance to support transverse bolts 12 equallyspaced apart circumferentially to the hub and of course similar innumber to 'the bolts 1,0,"said bolts 12 serving to receive the innerends of the spring-spokes. Bv preference the bolts l0 and 12 aresecuredmin place by the usual nuts 13 to rovidefor convenient separationand assembling of the parts when desired, though it is to be understoodthat said elements may, if desired, be in the form oi rivets headed onopposite sides of the re speetive flanges.

The resilient connections between the rim` and hub, hereinafter termedspring-spokes,

preferably comprise lfiat plates tapermg in` plan from the hub or innerend to the rim or outer end and oi a thickness consistent with thecontemplated use of the particular wheel. For convenience indescril'ition the spokes illustrated are numbered consecutively as 14,15, 16, 17, 1S, 19, 2U, and 21, though it is to be understood that theyare exact duplicates and that a detailed description of-one will sufficefor all.

Each spoke is formed at its rim or outer end with a coil 22 to receive abolt 10 and elia length to iit between the lianges Q, then curved, as at24, then bent into acurve ol smaller radins than part 24, as at25, andfinally formed `into a coil 26 oi' a width. to iit between thehub-flanges 11 and designed to receive one of the bolts 12. ln thisconnection it will be noted that the rim connection and hub connectionof anv'particular spring are inl alinement diametrieally with respect tothe wheel, so that the strain incident to load compression tends toadvance or exert a pressure on the respective parts in the direction inwhich the vehicle is moving. The relative arrangement of thespring-spokesv is suchthat a particular spoke .is normally in contactwith the next successive spoke, the contact being approximately betweenlthe part 24 and the unction of said portion and the portion 23 ci saidnext successive spoke, as at 27. By this arrangement a contact ismaintained normally between all the spokes of the Wheel, and it isthrough this contact, cou led with the particular shape oi' the spo es,that the decided advantage of the present invention is gained. Underload compression the springs, which are located lbetween the hub 2 andrim- 1 in the lower for`- ward quarter of the wheelwin the present instance, spokes 14, 15, and 16- -arc subjected to a downward and forwardmovement at their 'lOO l successive spoke, increasing the contact andcoinmodate themselves to hub, said inner or hub ends, as shown in dottediines, thus forcing these spokes toward the next interbracing them, Withthe effect to materi ally increase the rigidity of the structure at thispoint. The movement of these spokes will elongate or separate the spokesat the npper portion of the, wheel with the effect to relieve thecontact between the spokes at this point and increase their resiliency.

It will th is be noted that in the Wheel of my invention the spokesautomatically acthe load conditions, rendering the Wheel structure rigidWhere such is particularly desirable and increasing the resiliency of'the rest of the structure.

Owing to the respective end connections of the s okes being in thediarnetric line of the wheelg, the load compression tends to move thehub forward and downward-that is, eccentric to the rim-with the effectto change the cent-cr of gravity of the Wheel from its usual linedirectly over the contact-point of the rim to a line forward of saidpoint, and thereby facilitate the movement ,of the ve-k hicie.

The connections between the spoke ends and the rim and hub owing to thecoils' approximateiyfilling the space between the respective pairs offlanges are such as to insure perfect alinement of the wheel. andabsolutely prevent any independent lateral movement of the rim or hub,

Having thus described my invention, what i claim as new, and desire tosecure by Let ters Patent, is-

i. A Wheel comprising a rim, a hub, and resilient curved connectionbetween the rim and hub and directly connecting said rim and connectionsbeing in yielding con- 2. A Wheei comprising a rim, a hub, .and

curved spring-spokes joining the rim and hub, each ot said spokes beingin. yielding contact with the next successive spoke.

3. A wheel comprising a rim, a hub, and spring-spokes joining the hubandrim, leach of said spokes being in yielding contact with thenextsuccessive spoke and the respective terminal connections of said spokesbeing in alinement diametrically with respect to the Wheel.

4. A wheel comprising a rim, a h'ub,vand spring-spokes connecting thehub and rim, each of said spokes being in yieldin contact withA the nextsuccessive spoke an the end connections of said spokes being inalinement diametrically with respect to the Wheel on opposite sidesofthe wheel-center.

5. A wheel comprising a rim, a hub, and i spring-spokes connecting therim and hub, each of said spokes having a Avariable curve intermediatebetween its rim and hub connection and the curved portion of one spokebeing in yielding contact with the next succeeding spoke. l

6. A wheel comprising a rim provided with inwardly projecting iangesspaced apart, bolts secured in said lianges, a hub provided withoutwardly projecting anges spaced apart, bolts joining the hub -langes,and spring spokes terminally coiled to engage said bolts, each of saidspokes being in yielding contact with the next succeeding spoke.

In testimony whereof I aftix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.n

WARNER W. MCKEE; Witnesses:

FRANK J. Davis, P. C. Uscavram

